American built $3K truck camper to avoid rent, embraces nomadic life

The BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park in Queensland won the gold award in the Best Caravan and Holiday Parks category at the 2025 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. This marks the park's second consecutive win, having also received the award in 2024. The awards were presented across 26 categories in the tourism industry.

Australia's Mater Foundation is running a lottery to fund cancer research. The top prize is a modified Toyota LandCruiser Military GXL off-road motorhome with over $180,000 in custom upgrades, towing an Austrack Talawana X15 Hybrid off-road camper trailer. All tickets have been sold.

LDV Australia has launched the Series 2 version of its factory-built Deliver 9 Campervan, featuring increased power and a revised layout. Key updates include a new 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (128kW, 420Nm), an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a two-seat variant with a north-south bed configuration. Pricing starts from $102,990 drive-away.

For the TV show 'Roadtrip Australien', three celebrity chefs are using a specially outfitted SLRV expedition truck based on an Isuzu chassis. The motorhome is equipped for up to three weeks of off-grid living with solar power and large water tanks. A fully equipped new vehicle can cost up to 650,000 euros.

Caravan park operators in Australia are experiencing sharp increases in insurance premiums and reduced coverage due to frequent natural disasters. Association data indicates some premiums have risen by 300% since 2020, with excesses for specific risks reaching AUD 50,000. This threatens the financial viability of many parks that are crucial for domestic tourism.

Vandals ripped down and threw over a cliff traffic signs prohibiting overnight motorhome parking in the coastal areas of Sandsend and Cayton Bay in North Yorkshire. The county council introduced an experimental ban due to the increased number of motorhomes but faced overwhelming objections and vandalism, which disrupted data collection. A final decision on making the ban permanent will be made next month based on data from only two of the three planned sites.